Lifting barriers: Educated boys for gender equality

As the UNESCO 2022 Report ‘Leave no child behind: global report on boys’ disengagement from education’ has shown, boys are at high risk of repeating grades, failing to progress in their education, and not learning while in school. Gendered norms and expectations are part of the factors that can negatively impact boys’ motivation and desire to learn.  While previously, boys’ disengagement and dropout were concerns in mainly high-income countries, several low- and middle-income countries have seen a reversal in gender gaps. Yet, despite increasing evidence of these dynamics, there has been limited research on effective strategies to combat boys’ disengagement from education.

The Lifting Barriers: Educated Boys for gender equality project will investigate how harmful and restrictive masculine gender norms impact boys' educational motivation and desire to learn. By means of research and practice, the project will identify the conditions that facilitate the development, successful implementation, and scaling-up of strategies to advance positive and inclusive masculinities in and through education. It includes a pilot of a school-based intervention model in Malawi and preparing the ground for intervention in Cambodia and Lesotho.